The Revolution Will Be Tweeted

‘The Revolution will not be televised’ sang Gil Scott-Heron in 1970. With recent events, it appeared that he couldn’t have been more wrong, as we watched the waves of protests and uprisings across the Arab world played out on screens. But a closer analysis of the Facebook Revolutions shows the greater importance of social media, and there are valuable lessons in these global events for brand communications.


Of course, I don’t profess to know the mind of Gil Scott-Heron, but it’s likely he held a similar view to 1970’s CBS Newsman Edward Murrow, who (paraphrasing Marx) described TV as ‘the opiate of the people’. Scott-Heron’s lyrics suggest a view of TV as a means by which governments and powerful corporations could subjugate the people, and in particular whites could control blacks. For him, The Revolution would subvert the media and would not be reduced to a TV spectacle. Everyone would be involved together - you wouldn't be able to stay home at watch it on TV.


Today’s technology has become so personalised and user-friendly that literally everyone can use a camera phone and upload content to YouTube, or post instant messages on Twitter. Rather than a tool for subjugation, new media has become the great enabler. States may still control the TV that’s broadcast in their country, and they can even shut down the internet to a certain degree, but in doing so they often damage themselves and their economies. Moreover, Twitter and Youtube have proven to be virtually uncontrollable. Even if the direct routes are shut down, footage and messages seem to find ways round it - there are even several workarounds for China’s Great Firewall. This is the truly globalised, interconnected world, where citizen journalists make the news, and anyone can comment on it, rather than simply watching a particular broadcaster’s angle. Governments have taken this on board, with Beijing’s police recently opening China’s first ever police PR department complete with microblogging and online video. But states can’t control social media scrutiny, they can only be part of the conversation, in some senses just another brand in the market place, rather than owning the market place. People will either buy in to its products, or not – time will tell.


Facebook didn’t produce the revolution in Tunisia – it’s not something that Facebook can claim ownership of. But it was an essential tool that enabled (unwittingly) the instant communication required to allow it to happen. Ben Ali’s subsequent TV appearances where he took the traditional approach of glossing over what was happening stood in starkest contrast to events in the Arab Street and reinforced his disengagement.


How does this relate to PR?


The lesson for brands is clear – embrace the conversation. Get in amongst your customers, your staff and your stakeholders and engage with them. Some brands are now so far advanced in this approach they are leaving slower competitors far behind. Their staff are using internal social networks and messaging. Their corporate stakeholders and customers receive online magazines and engage with their blogs. Their consumer audiences follow them on Facebook and Twitter and their posts about the products are greeted with comments from company representatives, their questions are referred to customer services.


PR agencies should also take note, if they haven’t already done so. It’s no longer enough for social media to be a bolt-on to traditional PR campaigns. The customers want direct interaction. PRs must themselves become the enablers for their clients to use social media, with clients opening themselves up to scrutiny in the process. There must be a plan for that – something PR people are very good at. Perhaps 2011 will be the great Brand Social Media Spring as well as an Arab Awakening.


Rather than televised, the revolution was tweeted, Facebooked and YouTube’d. Incidentally, the most liked comment on that Youtube clip of Gil Scot Heron is from an Egyptian. Apparently, the song was popular during the protests.